Jerusalem: Capital of the State (Brittany Fox)

Tour: Jerusalem: Capital of the State of Israel

The Face of the Nation

Israel is a relatively new nation. Since its establishment in 1948 the nation has had to establish the “Face of the Nation.” During this tour we considered how both the City of Jerusalem and National Hill reflect the establishment of the new state through architecture and government structure.

THE KNESSET – Israeli parliament

The Knesset was established with 120 members of parliament, corresponding to the number of members of the Sanhedrin, the supreme political, religious, and judicial body in Palestine during the Roman period, both before and after the destruction of the Second Temple. Israel has never had a constitution but the Declaration of Independence has served as the foundation of a “Jewish Democratic State.” Prior to the construction of the current building the Knesset met in the Jewish Agency building in Jerusalem, the Kessem Cinema building in Tel Aviv and the Froumine building in Jerusalem. The government was broke after the War of Independence, but they realized the need to create government buildings that would reflect the new nation. In 1956 the government took bids for the creation of a new Knesset building on a site in the west Jerusalem district that prior to 1948 was known as Sheikh Badr, but most architects, knowing full well the financial situation of the government did not place bids. The winning architect created a design in a style that reflects the architecture of the Greek Parthenon. In 1957 James A. de Rothschild donated all of the money to construct the building. The building was built on the edge of the cliff and there was an argument as to whether the entrance should be below the building in order to “ascend” as one did to the Temple in ancient times, or if it should be entered on the same level to show that all are citizens are equal before the law. Due to the fact that during this period (i.e., prior to the 1967 Six Day War) Jordan controlled territory within shooting range of the site, security was the ultimate determinant and so it was decided to enter from an even plane. The cornerstone was laid in 1958, but the building was not formally dedicated until 1966. Since that time three wings have been added to the original structure. For more information about the architecture, see the articles at Outside of the building there is a fence in memory of the Holocaust and a menorah (candelabrum) that was created by a Holocaust survivor as a gift from the British government. The menorah has been the emblem of the Jewish nation since time immemorial (much longer than the so-called "Star of David"), and this specific menorah has many pictures and texts that depict the history of the country. The Menorah tells the story of the destruction of the Temple, the formation of the Kibbutz movement, the Holocaust, the resurrection of the dead, Hannah's morning over the death of her seven sons, the 10 Commandments, Moses' victory over Amalek, David and Goliath, Immigration to Israel, the coming of the Messiah, the Lion and the Lamb living together in peace, Jeremiah weeping over the destroyed Temple, and a variety of other stories and sayings including the Shema--the watchword of the Jewish faith ("Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One"). For more information, see and

THE SUPREME COURT OF LAW

The Knesset is directly in line with the Supreme Court of Law and the Prime Minister's office which is currently being constructed. The original Supreme Court building was rented from the Russian Compound, but a new location was sought that would be in a more central and accessible location. Lord Rothschild donated the money for the building under the conditions that the amount of money donated would not be published and that the materials all be produced locally. In the construction of the building the architects attempted to preserve history and religion by using biblical history as much as possible. The interior was made to look like the walls of Jerusalem because in the biblical period the judges would sit at the city gates. The stairs ascending to the courtrooms are created in the same pattern as those that lead to the Temple Mount. The architecture attempted to use as much natural light as possible, to represent transparency and righteousness.

Due to the coalition system of representative government, the Supreme Court is currently the strongest and most independent branch of Israeli government. The architecture of the building is one that emphasizes the focus on the rights of the individual. As you enter the courtyard the path is wide to represent the society as a whole, but as you near the doorway the path narrows so that you are constrained to enter the building as an individual. The court system of Israel is split into 3 levels. The first division is the Shalom (peace) court that settles low domestic affairs. The District court is the second level. The Supreme Court is split into two divisions: the High Court of Justice, and the High Court of Appeal. In the Supreme Court an individual has the ability to hold the government accountable for its actions in a system where both sides of the bench are on equal standing. The Supreme Court is composed of 13 judges that are appointed by a committee made up of 3 judges, 3 politicians, and 2 attorneys. For more information, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knesset and http://www.knesset.gov.il/main/eng/home.asp